Mel Milton reveals the many creative choices he has to make, as he designs and paints an original female character for this month’s cover
A few months ago I wrote an article in ImagineFX on getting motivated [see page 44 for how to get hold of issue 162]. One of those tips was embraced the dreamer within you.
I remember picking up past issues of ImagineFX, hoping to glean some knowledge that would help me get my foot in the door of this industry.
I continue to celebrate the dreamer that I was and still am, because each art step has been such a gift. It was a goal I was happy to achieve when I was asked to be this month’s cover artist. My mind was blown!
I knew this would be more of a challenge than normal. The benefit of this cover project was to be able to see how that factor affected me during the creative process. Mental hurdles are abundant when I’m working and each one gives me something new to take away into future projects.
I’m eager to dive into this and know that I’m continuing my growth as a creative. This accomplishment means so much to me and I’m grateful to get the opportunity to share with you some of what goes through my mind when creating a digital portrait.
1 Blocking out personality elements
I receive notes to design a 20-year-old female who’s fun, fresh, vibrant and modern. At the beginning of every piece I take a moment to think about how I’m feeling. I’m happy to be working on this project, but some jobs aren’t this cut and dried. With every project, there’s a moment when the inner critic will have me second-guessing myself. By taking my feelings into consideration, I can go easier on myself, even though I’ll set my standards much higher for myself than normal, which can create added disappointment and frustration during the process.
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Esta historia es de la edición Xmas 2018 de ImagineFX.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
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